Engines seize up

O

oldcoot

Forum Newbie
I have two mowers in my shop right now that after you mow for a while and shut it down to dump bag, drink a beer or whatever the engine is seized up. You can grab the blade and break it loose easily and they run fine. Both engines are the cheaper briggs with the plastic carb, one is on a Husqvarna and one is on a Craftsman with about 3 hours on it. I suspect that the big end of the rod is heating up and seizing to the crank. I understand that the rods are aluminum with no bearing inserts. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance
 
One of your basic assumptions is wrong. As circular items, such as the rod journal, heat up, the inside diameter gets bigger, not smaller.

So let's consider other things that could lock up your engine, which was running fine right up to the point of being shut off. I'd take off the shroud and clean the cylinder fins.
 
cpurvis said:
One of your basic assumptions is wrong. As circular items, such as the rod journal, heat up, the inside diameter gets bigger, not smaller.

So let's consider other things that could lock up your engine, which was running fine right up to the point of being shut off. I'd take off the shroud and clean the cylinder fins.
Click to expand...
 
You are absolutely right and due to differing rates of linear expansion the crank journal would not grow as much as the ID of the rod bore, sorry bout that The cylinder cooling fins are clean as these are both low hour engines and I don't know about the oil but they are both clean and on the mark
 
That's the weirdest thing I've heard of on a mower. Recoil starter grabbing on shut down? Maybe a ball of twine around the crankshaft at the bottom?
 
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